Hinchey should be focused on NY not Utah

million acres in Utah

By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 11/10/2009 02:50:35 PM MST

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Washington » Nearly 90 members of Congress want the Interior Department to protect 9.4 million acres of Utah public lands from development while lawmakers consider a measure to set aside the areas as wilderness.
Led by New York Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey, the members of Congress wrote to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday asking him to use his "considerable authorities" to protect the millions of acres until Congress can act.
"While there are some differences of opinion on how to protect Utah's remarkably beautiful landscape, there is a consensus that millions of acres within the state warrant wilderness protection," Hinchey said in a statement.
"Given the common belief that much of this land should be safeguarded, it makes sense for the Interior Department to step in and temporarily protect these lands while Congress and state officials sort out the best way to protect these precious acres for this and future generations of Americans to enjoy and admire."
A House Natural Resources subcommittee last month held a hearing on the legislation, which has not come up for a vote in the 20 years it has been introduced. The bill, called America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, would designate 9.4 million acres of public land in Utah as Wilderness, effectively barring new roads, mining or off-road vehicle use.
None of Utah's members of Congress support the legislation, which was first introduced


by late Rep. Wayne Owens. Utah officials who testified said they preferred more smaller scale, local-level solutions to preserving public lands.
Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican who says the Red Rock bill is an attempted land grab by outsiders, said Tuesday's letter is evidence that supporters of the legislation realize they can't push their "massive one-size-fits-all wilderness" bill through Congress.
"Since they can't achieve their goal of locking up millions of acres of Western land through an open and transparent democratic process, they're now trying to use backdoor, undemocratic rules and regulations to lock up our state," Bishop said. "If Congressman Hinchey was serious about protecting lands in Utah, he should try to work with Utahns instead of trying to go around us."
Hinchey previously joined with more than 70 members of Congress earlier this year in asking Salazar to halt any more oil and gas leases after Salazar delayed 77 such leases in Utah.
The Interior Department did not comment on Hinchey's letter.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13755686